Digitalisation in accounting 2024/2025: progress, hurdles and prospects

Digitalisation is fundamentally changing accounting. Processes are becoming leaner and more efficient, while specialists increasingly need new digital skills to master the challenges of digitalisation.

Our study "Digitalisation in accounting" sheds light on the digital transformation in accounting and uses case studies and expert interviews to show how companies are using AI and other technologies.

In the short term, AI applications lead to significant time savings in transactional processes for 49 per cent of the companies surveyed. In the medium term, however, 59 per cent focus on cost reductions and quality improvements. Satisfaction with the use of AI is high: 71 per cent of respondents believe their expectations have been met, while 5 per cent have even exceeded their expectations.

The study shows that integration complexity and a lack of expertise are the biggest hurdles to the introduction of AI. Investments in employee training and the optimisation of technical interfaces are therefore essential in order to fully exploit the potential of AI.

In addition to AI, other technologies are also driving digitalisation in accounting. Cloud solutions are now established at 56 per cent of companies, while learning systems are playing an increasingly important role at 28 per cent.

In addition, 36 per cent rely on in-memory databases and 28 per cent on robotic process automation. These systems not only help with the automation of routine tasks, but also open up new possibilities in data analysis and knowledge management.

However, digital change is not just limited to technologies. Organisational structures and working methods in finance departments are also changing fundamentally. According to the study, 79% of respondents see the optimisation of processes and workflows as one of the key results of digitalisation. At the same time, 59 percent state that their organisational structures have evolved significantly.

New roles such as Finance Data Scientist and Finance Quality Manager are gaining in importance - 68 per cent of companies have already introduced or are planning to introduce such positions.

261 people, mainly CFOs and heads of accounting, took part in the survey. The companies in which these people work are active in various market segments and 57 per cent of them come from Germany, 39 per cent from Austria and 4 per cent from Switzerland.   

For the complete results and analyses, you can download the study here.